Islamic State executes 250 Syrian soldiers

Beirut, August 29, 2014

Islamic State fighters have executed 250 Syrian soldiers captured when the group seized an air base in the province of Raqqa at the weekend, according to a video posted on YouTube on Thursday and confirmed as genuine by an Islamic State fighter.

The video showed the bodies of dozens of men lying face down wearing nothing but their underwear. Their bodies were stretched out in a long line that appeared to be dozens of metres long.

The video also showed a separate pile of bodies nearby.

"The 250 shabeeha taken captive by the Islamic State from Tabqa in Raqqa have been executed," read the caption posted with the video, referring to the soldiers by the name to forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad by Islamist militants fighting him.

Talking to Reuters via the Internet, an Islamic State fighter in Raqqa said: "Yes we have executed them all." - Reuters